CLASSICAL RADIO; The Hills Were Alive . . .

Edward Rothstein's essay on WNCN-FM changing its classical music programming to a "pure rock" format underlines the shift away from classical music in general [ "WNCN Met the Enemy. Guess Who?" Jan. 2 ] . This trend has been amply evident in recent years to anyone who loves classical music, whether a professional musician or an avid concert goer. There are many reasons for this development in the complicated world we live in. There is one simple solution that could reverse this decline: a resurgence in music lessons.

In pre-TV times nearly every household had at least one member who played the guitar or piano (or flute or violin or whatever) and almost everyone sang. There were many amateurs, those who played simply for the love of music. Only when there are a great many people who have some hands-on experience with classical music or at least music in the classical style, be it Bach, Beethoven or the Beatles, can we ever hope that concert halls and the airwaves will once again be regularly filled with such sounds reaching large audiences. ANDREW SCHULMAN New York

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A version of this letter appears in print on January 16, 1994, on Page 2002004 of the National edition with the headline: CLASSICAL RADIO; The Hills Were Alive . . . Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe